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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. court — of law
  3. rash — hasty
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. cue — a signal
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. cue — a hint
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. tube — a container
  12. march — the month
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. content — happy
  15. march — music
  16. wake — a trail
  17. rash — a series
  18. tube — the underground
  19. cue — for pool
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. court — for sport
  22. content — the amount
  23. court — of a king
  24. mouse — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com